Why Her?
by QuimbyCub
Summary: A three ? shot on how and why Sophie sent Tara to join her Leverage teammates.
1. I'm Not Leaving You

**Why Her?**

Sophie, Parker, Tara  
Rated: G  
Sum: How Tara joined the team. (Three shot?)

CH 1 SUM: Telling Nate was one thing. Telling Parker, that was hard.

"Shh, shh," Sophie tried to soothe the almost crying thief. She stroked Parker's hair as the blonde lay across her lap. "You'll be fine. You still have Eliot and Hardison. And you've got Nate. You'll be fine without me." Sophie murmured more to reassure herself than to Parker.

"But," Parker started, an obvious whimper in her voice. "But you have to stay. You're our grifter." Her voice had a pitiful, un-Parker element to it.

Sophie sighed a little. "Parker, I need a break from this. The jobs and the grifting," She helped Parker sit up a little, enough to pull the girl into an awkward hug. "I'm not leaving you."

"Then take me with you!" Parker perked up instantly. "I'll pay my own way, anywhere you go. I travel light, I'm neat, you already know that we get along. I promise I--"

Sophie shook her head softly. "No, I wish I could, Parker."

"Then--" Parker tried again, but was, again, cut off.

Sophie did really look sorry, "I need to make a clean break from this for a while. Just a bit." The wounded look in Parker's brown eye's was being intensified by the tears now pouring from down her cheeks. "Don't be sad. Besides Nate and the boys need you. Can you imagine what they'd do if we both left?"

"No." Parker sniffled. "They'd suck."

Sophie laughed, tearing up a little herself. "See? You need to stay with the team." She stressed to the younger woman. "Okay?"

Parker nodded and siffeled. "Yeah."

"Good." Sophie patted Parker on the back. "Hey, and if I think you need help, I'll send someone or come back." She waited for acknowledgement. "I'll call you and check in if I can. And you can call me if you need to talk to me."

Parker was crying into Sophie's shoulder again. "Really?"

"Yes." Sophie answered simply, brushing Parker's hair back from her face. "You just have to be strong while I'm gone."

"What about you? What are you gonna do? Do you have anyone?" Parker asked.

Sophie paused. "I, I'll come up with something. Don't worry." Sophie kissed Parker on the forehead. "I'll be fine."

Parker shuffled back away from her friend. "Promise you'll come back if we need you?"

"If I can't I will send someone I trust." She smirked. "And you know how few people I trust."

"Fine. And we'll know when you send 'em?"

The final boarding call for Sophie's flight was broadcast over the PA. Sophie pulled together her things and smiled at her best friend, and beloved thief. "I have to go, now, Parker." She tried to get more than a blankish stare from her friend, but no luck. "Bye."

"Bye." Parker whispered.

Sophie walked towards the gate, just as she was about to enter she heard Parker yell, in an inappropriately loud voice. "It was bad enough the first time you died!"

Laughing inwardly, the Brit refused the urge to yell 'I'm not really dead, Parker.' Instead she held up a finger to the flight attendant, set her bags down at the gate and ran back to the spot where her teammate stood. Her heals slowed her bit but she stil pulled Parker into a tight, warm hug. "I'll miss you too."

So, Review please. I'm dying for some angsty stuff, just biding my time. Thanks for reading Q


	2. I Owe You

Why Her?

Sophie, Parker, Tara

Rated: G/K+

Sum: How Tara joined the team. (Three shot?)

CH 2: I OWE YOUCH 2 SUM: Sophie telling Tara that she is needed and filling her in a bit about the team.

AN: The conversation thing was tough. Needs beta-ing. Prolly OOC.

The phone rang once, twice, four times before the answer-phone picked up. An artificial static filling the background of the recording as Sophie's long-time accomplice's voice came over the line. "Chances are I won't call you back, Roger, that means you." Sophie wanted to laugh. "So, don't leave a message unless it's business or family. Bye."

"Tara?" Sophie tried. "I really hope you're screening. I need to talk to you."

Three thousand, four hundred and sixty miles away, in the city of New York, Tara considered ignoring the phone. She did allow her fingers to hover over the handset while she listened to her good friend talk.

"It's about a job I have for you. I need you to take my place for a bit." Sophie was pained in her speech.

"I can't do it right now."

That caused Tara to sigh and pick up the receiver. "What's up?"

"Tara!" Sophie squealed. "You're home!"

"Yeah, so what do need, Poly?" Tara was actually excited about a solid job offer.

"Well," the British grifter thought of how to explain the last two years of her life. "Who's Roger?"

"A guy, stalkery." Tara dismissed. "The job?"

"Right." Sophie started again. "I've been running cons, consecutively, with a team. There's five of us. Hitter, hacker, grifter, thief, and" her voice almost cracked. "Our mastermind."

"Okay." Tara kind of nodded.

Sophie continued. "We do break the law, being mostly criminals, but we help people. Do you remember the museum that got robbed on opening day,? The on with the two David's?"

The other woman smiled in disbelief. "That was you?"

"That was us. It was my David though, its gone." Sophie was still hurt by that. "But we are making a difference."

"What else have you guys done?" Tara asked, eager to learn more about this opportunity.

"We may have been involved in saving the plane that crashed on the was to the Cayman Islands. Mostly Hardison stopped it from crashing." Sophie shook her head thinking about the fight she and Nate got into. It was so ten years. "That money laundering with the senator, with money from Iraq? That was us when we first grouped up, Eliot had a ton of information on military, it was impressive. Oh, just recently, we took down Monica Hunter--"

"I liked her show!" Tara objected. "Although that break down was entertaining."

"Year that was Parker's doing mainly." Sophie smiled. "And that apartment that blew up in Boston, killing Katherine Clive. That was me that got blown up."

"Oh, are you..? Are you okay?" Tara couldn't hide the concern in her voice. "Is that why you want me to fill in?"

"No, I'm fine." Sophie made clear. "I just need time to remember who I am, without cons or lies."

Tara snorted. "Oh, you were serious? Sorry, I just-- Sorry."

"Yeah, I know it'll be tough, that's why I need to make sure they're safe, so I don't try to contact them. I need someone I trust to take my place for a bit."

Tara rolled her eyes. "So, why did you call me?"

"Because you owe me, Tara." Sophie laid out smoothly. At the growl type noise she heard through the phone she correct herself. "And we've known each other for twenty years. I know you're good, almost as good as me."

Tara rolled her eyes and answered. "Tell me about these guys. Who are they? Can I trust them?"

Sophie sighed. "You'll learn to. And don't roll your eyes at me."

"How do you do that, Soph?" Tara grumbled childishly. "Fine, Hacker, thief, hitter, we are grifters, I assume, who's who?" There was a rustle of paper after the sentence.

"Are you taking notes?"

"Uh-huh. It helps."

"That's going to drive Nate insane." Sophie warned, only to be answered by loud pen scratches.

Tara was glancing down her paper. "Okay start with the hitter."

Sophie settled onto the couch. "Eliot Spencer. He is our back up, always. Sometimes he's the first line of defense. Eliot's very much a Southern gentlemen, decent grifter, too."

Tara scribbled down Sophie's words. "Didn't he take out the Butcher of Kiev?"

Sophie laughed, "At a mob wedding."

"Cool." Tara moved to her desk, getting a better pen. "Will he let me fight, like, ever?"

"Maybe." Sophie answered honestly. "Who do you want next?"

"Uhm… Hacker."

"Alec Hardison. He's young, that's the thing to remember. Not immature so much as young." Sophie though of all the times he and Eliot would play fight. "And he and Eliot do not hate each other, they just like to goof off. As for Hardison as a hacker, he's been doing this high school. Maybe before." Sophie shuddered to think. "He is the best, and he knows it."

"Confident or cocky?" Tara groaned.

After some debate, the brunette replied. "Both. Next?"

"Tell me about you're thief?"

"Our thief is Parker."

Tara cut in. "Guy or chick?"

"Woman" Sophie corrected.

"Why haven't I heard of her? The hacker's young, is she?"

"She's good." Sophie stated. "She's the best there is. She's a bit money obsessed, kinda odd. May sniff you or lift your wallet. But she's getting better." Sophie could feel her eyes starting to well. "She's adorable, really, you'll see."

"Ok," Tara said, not meaning it. "You said there are five of you. Who's left?"

"Our leader." Sophie paused. "Some will say he's a vicious thief others will say he is some kind of high tech vigilante."

"That's good." Tara smiled. "Can I use that?"

"For what? Never mind," Sophie didn't want to know. "Go for it."

Tara scribbled again. "Thanks. So who is this guy?"

"Nathan Ford. He used to work insurance--" The hesitation was obvious.

"The Nate Ford you've been pining over for ten years?" Tara almost yelled. "The Nate Ford who almost busted you? Why the fu--?"

"He's good now." Sophie insisted. "Well, bad. Whatever. He's with us."

"How sure are you?" Tara shifted the phone to her other shoulder.

Sophie smiled a tiny grin. "Positive. He's done too much to turn back."

"Fine, I don't trust him."

"You haven't met him."

Tara glanced over the notes. "That it?"

"Yes. Can you handle it?" Sophie pleaded.

"Sure." Tara nodded. "What's my in?"

"That's up to you. My suggestion would be to use your notes, a lot." Sophie thought for a moment. "The meeting tomorrow at McRory's Pub in Boston. That's your in."

"How so?" The blonde con artist was curios.

Sophie explained the case briefly, "Go in as a lawyer. Show the team how good you are. Get to know them, decide if you even want to work with them," Sophie grinned wickedly. "Its not like you're the only half decent scammer I know."

"Hey!" Tara objected. "I'll try, okay?"

Good, cause remember," Sophie started.

"I owe you." The other woman finished. "I won't forget."

"Alright." The London end of the call started to disconnect.

"Sophie, wait." Tara tried.

"Yes?"

"Should I, can I call you and update you if I need to?" The experienced thief suddenly sounded unconfident.

"Of course."

Tara nodded, still knowing Sophie couldn't see her. "Thanks."

"Thank you."

This time both lines clicked off.

Tara reread her notes and looked up instructions to the restaurant/pub. Sophie promised to email her more info, including where the spare keys to her Boston apartment are hidden. Tara liked new things, new people, and new experiences; but she didn't like going into things half blind. that's how this felt.

She threw some law type clothes, as well as some casual, into a suitcase. Her laptop and purse got placed by the front door next. Then she swung back to fridge for some road snacks, a five hour drive with traffic requires snacks. That was when the photo caught her eye.

Tara pulled the old snapshot out from under a magnet and looked over the people in the photo. It was her and Sophie the week they'd met, almost twenty years ago. They were leaning against each other in a booth, toasting the night (and a successful theft). They were young, new to the business, but born to con. There were some slip ups, that's a given.

Some mistakes were big, others small. Tara thought of the big mistake she'd made. Yeah, and Sophie had saved her, big.

"Okay, Soph, you're right." Tara whispered to the young Sophie in the picture. "I owe you."


End file.
